*Who are you?*
"I... I am me."
*?*
"I am Shinji. Shinji Ikari. I am a EVA pilot."
*Why?*
"I... don't know."
*Why?*
"I don't know"
*Why?*
"I don't know!"
*But you are.*
"Yes."
*Do you enjoy it?*
"Uh..."
*Do you enjoy it?*
"No, I don't."
*Then why do you do it?*
"I am needed"
*Who needs you?*
"They do"
*Who is they?*
"They are my family. They need me."
*Who in your family needs you?*
"Misato needs me."
*Misato has Kaji. She doesn't need you.*
"Asuka needs me."
*Asuka needs no one. Especially not you.*
"Rei needs me."
*How? She has your father.*
"I..."
*They do not need you*
"...They do not need me."
"I am not needed."
*Then why do you fight?*
"..."
*Why do you fight?*
"Because I must. I must fight."
*Why?*
"I don't know why..."
*Do you enjoy fighting?*
"No."
*Are you needed?*
"No."
*Then stop fighting.*
"No... I can't stop..."
*Why?*
"..."
*You have no reason to continue fighting.*
"I... I... I have no reason to continue."
"...I can stop fighing."
*You have no reason to continue living.*
"?!"
*What reason do you have to live?*
"...I have no reason to live."
*With out a reason to live, life is pointless.*
*You have no reason to live.*
"No reason..."
*Give up fighting. Give up living.*
"Give it all up...?"
*Yes. You have no reason to continue.*
*No reason to hurt any longer.*
"Hurt?"
*Yes.*
"How...?"
*Are you happy?*
"No."
*Are you lonely?*
"Yes."
*Doesn't it hurt?*
"...Yes."
*Then give it up. You have no part of life."
"No part in life? How?"
*Who will be hurt by your leaving?*
"I... I don't know."
*Who will be hurt by your leaving?*
"... No one."
*Who will be hurt by your leaving?*
"No one!"
*Then give up.*
*You are not important to anyone.*
"I..."
*What good can you serve by staying?*
"I... I... I can make him proud of me."
*?*
"I can make him proud"
*Who?*
"... My father."
*?*
"Will he be proud if I give up?"
*Silence.*
"I said 'will he be proud if I give up?'."
*Silence.*
"Answer me! If I give up will he be proud?"
*Silence*
"Then I must keep on living."
*No...*
"I must keep on fighting!"
*...no...*
"I am Shinji!"
"I will make him proud!"
"I am Shinji Ikari, son of Gendou Ikari."
"I am me!"
"Well, we almost lost him that time," Ritsuko nervously commented to Misato.
"Yes, almost. But just before the synchronization reached the 400% level that would have meant the dissolution of his Ego and the absorption of his body, he bounded back. He regained himself, so to speak."
Misato leaned forward grabbing the console in front of her, then leaned backwards while holding on with both hands. Her back made several popping sounds and she let out a sigh of pleasure in accompaniment. She looked down at the screen in front of her which showed the downward spiral of Shinji's Synchronization rate.
"Hmm... I sure would like to know what made him return," she said, before turning around to glance at the unspeaking form of Gendou Ikari.